About

SCALA. Architecture Playing Cards

€18,332

pledged of €1,800 goal

575

backers

SCALA · playing cards collection is an ongoing project which, through a standard deck of poker cards, provides an overview of several buildings of interest in the last years. The four suits define the size of the projects from the small scale of pavilions and houses to the urban and infrastructural range.

In addition to bringing together the most representative architects and their works over recent years, it is our intention to carry out a wide review within emerging countries in the current architectural panorama, shaping a quality object carefully designed that also fits the parameters of the traditional poker card game.

Printed by Legends Playing Card Co.

THE GAME. THE COLLECTION

SCALA is a standard deck of French playing cards which follows the guidelines of the poker size (3.5 x 2.5 inches – 88.9 x 63.5 mm), at the same time presenting an account of contemporary architecture. In this light, SCALA is a digest of 52 of the most relevant buildings from the last 25 years, from five continents and more than twenty countries.

As its name suggests, the project portrays a broad overview within the current panorama of architecture, from small to big, from local to global. Scale (from latin scala) is the criterion that links every building depending on the suit:

Each card suit has a specific hue to highlight the different scales of architecture. As the position of the building already creates a directivity, the pipes aren't reversible.

Another important feature is the correlation throughout the numbers of each suit, showing similar types of architectural representation (elevations, sections, plans…), in the following order:

A Floor plans

2-7 Elevations (from lower to higher detail)

8-10 Inner views (conic perspectives)

J-K Façades in detail (from lower to higher abstraction)

All 56 cards that compose the deck (including 3 jokers and credits) are printed in 110lb cover paper (300gsm), with a special satin finish using ecological acrylic on both sides of the card. We use CMYK colours with the best resolution. Every single playing card has been carefully redrawn by our team.

Tuck case

Our customized tuck box is printed in 145lb ecological card stock (385gsm). Depending on the project income we will launch new versions with different finishes (embossing, debossing, letter press…)

Back Design

SCALA is a beautiful gift if you have relatives or friends interested in architecture and design, either if you are a collector of different kinds of playing card decks or if you are a poker player and want to surprise your friends. Its unique design style makes it a fresh and creative item.

Crown Jewel

We have prepared a full Crown Jewel set for our most exclusive backers, that includes a customized wooden box with 60 poker chips, dices and a carefully designed mat.

This new unlimited Crown Jewel reward is open for the last 7 days of campaign. The case together with the chips have been designed by our team in collaboration with Arahal Graba2, mixing laser cutting with handmade techniques.

Architecture posters

Some of the drawings used for our playing cards have also been adapted to bigger formats, and turned into high resolution posters. Two buildings of each suit have been included for a total of 8 designs. Their size is 45.6 x 45.6 cm (17.7 x 17.7 inches) with an extra margin of 7.2 cm (2.8 inches) in order to be framed and hung on the wall. It is a light cardstock printed in 50 lb cover paper (140 gsm) with a satin finish. With this launch we want to encourage you to pick the SUPERBACKER reward, and to the backers that receive an additional poster to start deciding. Choose your favorite once you receive the survey.

Every shipping will include this additional booklet containing extra information about the game and the buildings featured in SCALA · playing cards collection. Every design is displayed in a single drawing, complemented by a cartography that gathers the location of the different structures.

Uncut sheets

For the last 48 hours of campaign, we have unlocked the last and much awaited reward: a limited edition of 50 uncut sheets featuring all 52 designs in one single piece.

Poker chips

The last add-on have been unlocked: 4 customized and engraved wooden chips. There are four different designs, each representing one of the aces.

Stretch Goals

Thanks to your support in the rapid funding of this initiative, we are launching new stretch goals:

6.000 € - ACHIEVED!4 new special architecture posters with buildings that aren’t included in the deck.

12.000 € - ACHIEVED! Game Booklet. Backers will be sent a booklet with detailed information, alternate designs and more about the buildings in the collection.

18.000 € - Last SG ACHIEVED!4 customized poker chips are now available be added to your pledge!

THE CREATORS

We are Juanlu, Pedro and Miguel, and we are Arquitectura a Contrapelo: a Spanish design & architecture team based in Seville. The three of us are newly graduated architects that rethink the relationship between urban phenomena, building processes and its ways of communication across the written and graphical languages. One of our latest challenges is SCALA, inspired by a Finnish counterpart project which gathered architectures from the XX century and introduced them into the poker field. With this initiative we intend to take a step forward on the current scenario of our field, collecting examples from today and making use of emerging tools and means of expression. As a result, we have developed a very personal approach trying to bring a fresh perspective to the worlds of playing cards & architecture.

Your feedback about our work would be very significant for us. We deem every suggestion and comment essential, and we love to gather and share with interesting people. Visit our webpage to check our new projects and updates and feel free to contact us via email for any inquiry or even just to chat. Thank you for your time and our best wishes!

Lastly, we would like to extend special thanks to the architects that have given their consent to include their works in this project, as well as to our friends Adria, Juan Carlos, the Seville-based architecture studio Sol89, and to playing cards consultant Don Boyer. Without them, the launching of SCALA would not have been possible. And of course to Kickstarter for being the platform that enables us to reach further.

Risks and challenges

The aim of our project is to fund a large enough print run of SCALA. Prices have been adjusted with this in mind, since the raisings will be reinvested in the distribution and diffusion of our initiative. However, delays may occur in the worldwide shipment of the card decks, as the size of the printing order will vary depending on the final degree of acceptance.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €50 or more
About $57

- CROWN JEWEL -

Can't you wait to play? Hurry up and purchase one of the ten special SCALA packs that include, not only the exclusive SCALA contemporary architecture playing card deck, but also a carefully designed table mat, dice, chips and more surprises!